A World Rent Asunder

by NeverEatTheLemonsAlone

Act I, scene v - A Pyre For The Innocent

Fire.

Fire everywhere.

Oh Celestia, why is there so much fire?

Why would the Princess do this again? She didn't have to do it once, so why twice? How many more times has she done this? Why? Why? Why?

Rarity—still having trouble thinking of her as such instead of Marks—and I had happened upon another village. Unlike the last one, this one had actually been really friendly, and we'd spent a little while just resting up.

Then another Solar Effigy came.

In much the same fashion as Moonscry, this town has been utterly wiped off of the map. All that remains is a pile of ash and coals, a few flames still flickering on the sparse pieces of intact wood. The Effigy screams to the sky, pulsing sheets of plasmatic fire tearing hundreds of feet into the air, before flashing off to the east, back towards the Solar Dominion.

All of the ponies here are dead.

Rarity and I emerge from behind a shattered house where we were hiding from the monstrous creature of solar light. Both of us are visibly shaken, and when the white unicorn speaks, her words tremble. "W...Why? Why would she do this?"

For once in my life, I have no answer. I'm just as confused as she is. I swallow.

For pretty much the first time in my life, I begin to question whether Celestia is in the right in a situation.

I don't think she is.

The face of a cafe owner—Starbird, I think his name was—explodes in front of my eyes and I flinch. He was such a nice pony; they all were. Just ashes on the breeze now. Heat still radiates from the wreckage and smoke billows up in huge clouds. There are no survivors.

"Look at this place," Rarity murmurs, "what did they do to deserve this? They were peaceful. Just a rest stop, really. Nobody around for miles in every direction. Is she really desperate enough that she needs to kill innocents to feel that she's accomplishing something?"

I begin to feel sick. The smell of ash in the air doesn't help matters, and I turn to walk away. Rarity stands there for another few moments, then follows.

As we walk through the open plains, I begin to curse my sensitive nose. Even when we're more than a full mile away, I can still smell the distinct stench of burnt wood and flesh. My ears fold back and Rarity's face remains completely impassive. I know what distress looks like, though, and her eyes are full of it. Distress is like tears, I suppose; it builds in your eyes until you can't hold it back anymore. Her eyes haven't caved in yet, but I know: they will soon.

Finally, we make it far enough that I can't smell the fire anymore. I can still see it in my mind's eye, though. I can see the flickering fires, but mostly, the thing that I see the most clearly is the incendiary image of my Princess.

Only a few miles later, Rarity asks in a subdued voice if we can stop for the night. I acquiesce; I don't want to push either of us right now.

Just before I can sleep, I see all of the fire behind my eyes again. It terrifies me.

---

We wake up. Sort of.

Our bodies are awake, but our minds are still trying to sleep, to seek respite from the horrors that transpired just a few hours ago. The distress is still in Rarity's eyes, but it's starting to become more heavy. Just from looking at her lethargic movements, I know that it won't be too long before she breaks. What I don't expect? For it to never happen. As I watch, she closes her eyes and breathes deeply, and when they open again, the distress is gone.

No, I think, not quite gone.

It's still there, definitely. But it's buried deep down, where she doesn't have to think about it. I stare at her in open admiration. What happened is still burned into my eyes, and she simply filed it away in the depths of her mind.

Wow.

---

We pass by two more small settlements in short order, each of them scourged by searing heat in the same fashion. Each time, we go through the motions of searching for survivors, no real hope of finding one. We never do. Finally, unbelievably, we find one that's still standing, and I intend to keep it that way.

Once Rarity goes to bed, I slip out of my bed, careful to not wake her, and trot quietly down and out of the inn. Going into full stealth mode, I make my way through the silent stone houses, eventually reaching the gates of the village and quietly nudging them aside. Perhaps thirty feet from the gate, I drop to my haunches, waiting, and let three pulses of bright light shine from my horn.

Within moments, a corona of heat hazes my vision and I sway, nearly falling over from the heat, as a Solar Effigy lands in front of me. I stay firm, though, and look into its unintelligent eyes, making sure that its half-consciousness knows what it's hearing.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I want you to take this message back to Celestia," I begin. "Princess, I don't know why you're doing this. I trust that you have a good reason for killing civilians, but I can't figure that reason out. You could go after the higher authorities of the Lunar Sovereignty with your Effigies, so why just innocent ponies? And you," I hiss at the Effigy itself, my eyes narrowed. "I suggest that you leave now, or I might have to get rough. And I know exactly how powerful you are, so don't test me."

While likely not understanding the actual words, the being's limited intelligence is enough to understand a threatening, confident tone when it hears one, and it knows how to stay away from it. Its empty, glowing golden eyes narrow and it darts away in a flicker of flame, slipping over the horizon like a bolt of lightning. I breathe deeply in relief. Those things are terrifying.

Then, from off to the side:

"I can't believe you."

I start in surprise as the air peels away, revealing...

"Rarity?"

Oh Celestia, she was standing next to me the entire time. Her eyes are piercing me with an icy glare, and her mouth is set in a snarl. "I saw you leaving and thought that you might need my help, so I followed you. And what do I see? You, the pony that I trusted, who's life I saved not once, but twice," she spits the final word as though it's a swear, "speaking to that...that tyrant Celestia!"

She turns, her posture stiff. "I don't suggest returning to the town, Sparkle. By the time you're back, nobody will want you anyway." [2]

---

[1]: Sorry, no witty remark here. Even now, it's still too raw in my memory.
[2]: Told you that letting her come with me would come back to bite me.

Author's Note:

Here's the last of the short chapters, hopefully.

Comments

[A Joe in the Bush]

[1]: Sorry, no witty remark here. Even now, it's still too raw in my memory.

What sentence does this Footnote correspond to?

And totally saw that coming. I'm just going to call it now, this fic ends with Rarity and Twilight on the twin thrones after the kill the Alicorn Sisters.

[Lost_Marbles]

Can't sleep, so I come back for another.

Short chapters aren't bad, it means that I can eat it up and come back for more if I still have room. I liked this chapter as well. Now we have another problem: Twilight might be alone again! Oh noes! And there is a mad pegasus out there wanting to kill her too!

Anyway, I kind of have a theory as to why Celestia's effigies are destroying the town Twilight visits: They are wiping out all who may have seen Twilight and preventing word about her presence from being spread.

Still, dick move, Celestia, dick move.

[Misty Spell]

The more I see of this, the less faith I have in the solar monarch.

Makes me wonder what kinds of attrocities Luna's been kicking up. I hope she has anyway, the new lunar republic is just bullshit stupidity.

As far as I'm aware, Luna has never done anything like this to our borders. She's left the civilians out of the casualties, as is right and proper. I thought Celestia did as well. Clearly though, I'm wrong.

Clearly this will be a fair and completely unbiased depiction of the two princesses.

We pass by two more small settlements in short order, each of them scourged by searing heat in the same fashion. Each time, we go through the motions of searching for survivors, no real hope of finding one.

Not pulling any anti celestia punches are you? When does she spout devil horns and burn down the sick puppy orphanage?